Emergency coupling for railroad cars



Dec. 27, 1932. P. L. HUDGINS 1,392,619

EMERGENCY COUPLING FOR RAILROAD CARS Filed May 18. 1931 ImnentorPatented Dec. 27, 1932 UNITE sTAree earni'r orricr.

PATRICK LEE HUIDGINS, OF DECATUR, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF SIXTY PER GENT TOS. A. LOVE, OF DE KALB COUNTY, GEORGIA EMERGENCY COUPLING FOR RAILROADCARS Application filed May 18, 1931. Serial No. 538,332.

The present invention relates to improvements in emergency couplings forrailroad cars and has for an object to provide certain improvements overmy prior Patent No. 1,653,433, granted December 30, 1927.

In common with my prior patent, the present improvement hassubstantially the same objects in view and the aim of the inventiongenerally is to provide a coupling which may perform as a substitute forthe usual railway car coupling in the event of breakage or injury tosuch usual coupling; whereby the cars may be joined together, deferringrepairs until the car arrives at the shop.

VJith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will bemore fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointedout in the claim appended hereto.

I11 the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device as applied to twocars wherein one car has the draw head in position and the other has thedraw head torn away.

Figure 2 is a plan view of-my improved emergency chain.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing one method of attaching myemergency chain.

Figure l is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification, and

Figure 5 is a detail showing the mode o attachment as applied in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 10 and 11 designate adjacentrailway cars movable over the track 12.

One of the cars 10 is shown as provided with the usual coupling memberor draw head 13; while in the other car 11 the draw head is missing,having been injured or torn away. In this event the cars may be coupledtogether by the use of the improved coupling device which consists of alength of chain peculiarly constructed; such chain being such as to bekept in the cars or in the care of the brakeman.

The improved coupling consists of a central large ring 14 to one side ofwhich is coupled a length of chain 15 terminating in a smaller ring 16.At its other side the large central ring 1% carries a second length ofchain 1! terminating in a turn buckle 18 and a book 19.

The chain may be of any desired length and the strands or chain sections15 and 1.7 may be of the same or different lengths.

Now the improved chain may be applied as shown in Figs. 1 and i.According to Figs. 1 and 3 the chain section 15 is looped about thetransverse beam 20 of the car 11, as shown in Fig. 1, and the terminalsmall ring or eye 16 may then be passed through the larger central ring1% and the hook 19 may be engaged with the small ring 16 after the chainsection 17 has been made to encompass the shank or draw-bar of the drawhead 13 as indicated in Fig. 1. Of course, the hook 19 may be passedthrough the central ring 14 and the smaller ring 16 remain on the rightside thereof; but this central ring 1 carries the inner ends of bothchain sections 15 and 17 and moreover acts as a confining element forthe free end portions of the chain sections. In this way two companionloops are provided for forming detachable yet effective emergencycoupling for the two cars. Also there is uniform distribution of thestrain throughout the entire length of the chain.

In accordance with Figs. 4 and 5, the chain section 17 is of shortlength and the opposite chain section 15 is much longer whereby thesmall ring 16, after the section 15 is looped about the draw bar 21, maybe inserted through the large ring 14: and the chain section 15 drawnthrough the ring let up until the small terminal ring 16 extendspartially about the opposite draw, bar 22. In this position the smallring 16 is engaged by the hook 19. In Fig. & the chain loops are shownas connected to opposite draw bars, one of the draw heads simply beinginjured, not torn away.

The turn buckle 18 takes up slack in' the device or chain. Preferably,the turn buckle is arranged adjacent the hook 19, so that the two may bemanipulated together and with facility.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in thedetails of construction and design of the above specifically describedembodiment of this invention Without departing from the spirit thereof,such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of thefollowing claim:

In an emergency car coupling, a single length chain having a hook on oneend for adjustably engaging the other end portion of the chain andclosing the chain into a continuous flexible chain, said continuouschain adapted to be looped at one end upwardly over a draw bar head andbehind the same to engage the horn of the head, said continuous chainhaving the runs crossed beneath the drawbai' head, a ring interposed inone run of the chai A a point to lie beneath the coupler and slidablyreceiving" the opposite run of the chain, the other end loop of thechain beyond said ring adapted to be engaged with a portion of anadjacent car and with the hook adjusted to take up general slack in thechain, and turnbuckle i sposed in the chain for drawing the same tent tohold said cars together to permit d 'aft to be transmitted from one carto the otl PATRICK LEE HUDG INS.

